Grabbing attachment for skid steer loader

ABSTRACT

An attachment for use with a skid steer loader having a single tine and a double tine connected at a center pin. The tines are configured to be powered open or closed about a vertical axis created by the center pin. The tines can be actuated by hydraulic cylinders. A scraper blade is included on the grabber attachment to allow the attachment to clear dead fall and brush. Side shields are included on the attachment to protect the tractor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an attachment for a skid steerloader, and particularly to a grabbing mechanism for a skid steerloader.

[0002] In fields such as construction, agriculture, and landscaping, itis often necessary to clear an area of rocks, trees, and brush. Whenclearing an area, it may be possible to use a tractor, front-end loader,or similar large machine to assist with the heavy lifting required toremove trees and rocks. However, tractors and the like are verydestructive to the area being cleared, and may leave deep tracks andother disruptions to the ground being cleared. As such, more time andeffort must be spent smoothing the area after the use of large machines,which results in increased cost.

[0003] Furthermore, the area in which the work must be done is often sosmall as to prevent a large tractor from being utilized during clearing.Clearing the area by hand is very labor intensive, and sometimesimpossible. For this reason, skid steer loaders are a convenientalternative to large tractors or machines. Skid steer loaders are smallenough to maneuver into restricted areas, yet provide the strengthrequired for moving small trees and rocks. Because they are much smallerthan a tractor, skid steer loaders often create much less destruction tothe soil in the area they are used to clear. Thus, skid steer loadersare a convenient alternative to larger tractors or machines which mayhave a much greater disruptive impact on the area to cleared.

[0004] Skid steer loaders are often equipped with a bucket attachment.While the bucket attachment is capable of scooping, pushing, andtransporting dirt and other material, it is not ideally suited for treeand stump removal, rock removal, or similar tasks. For instance, whenusing the bucket attachment to remove a tree or tree stump, asignificant amount of soil disruption is caused. Specifically, the treeor stump must be removed by digging it out, or by pushing or pulling itout of the ground. When this occurs, a large hole is left behind, oftenas deep as two feet. As a result, the hole must be filled, whichrequires extra time, effort, and cost to refill the holes and smooththem over.

[0005] Thus, there is a need in the art for an attachment to a skidsteer loader which is capable of grasping trees and removing them withless disruption to the environment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is a grabbing attachment for a skid steerloader. The grabber attachment comprises three prongs which can bepowered closed or powered open. The prongs can be closed about logs orsmall trees, allowing the skid steer loader to lift the logs or removethe trees with minimal disruption to the surrounding soil. A scraperblade is included on the grabber attachment to allow the attachment toclear dead fall and brush. In addition, the blade allows the grabberattachment to push the soil around the roots of live trees to loosen thetree a bit so that it can be removed more easily and with a smallerclump of dirt coming out with the roots as the tree is removed. Sideshields are included on the attachment to protect the tractor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skid steer loader and thegrabber attachment used to remove a log.

[0008]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grabber attachment.

[0009]FIG. 3 is a side view of the grabber attachment.

[0010]FIG. 4A is a top plan view of the grappber attachment in an openposition.

[0011]FIG. 4B is a top plan view of the grabber attachment in a closedposition.

[0012]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rear of the grabberattachment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skid steer loader 10 having agrabber attachment 12. The skid steer load 10 comprises a frame 14located on four wheels 16. The frame 14 comprises an operator cab 18inside which are located a series of operator controls which allow anoperator to steer and maneuver the skid steer loader 10. Arms 20 arealso connected to the frame 14. The grabber attachment 12 is located ona front side of the arms 20. The arms can be raised or lowered usingvehicle controls in the cab 18, and the grabber attachment 12 canlikewise be maneuvered using a variety of operator controls located inthe cab 18.

[0014] The grabber attachment 12 is particularly suited for clearingboth live trees as well as dead fallen trees. The grabber attachment 12can close about a tree so that the tree can be removed from the groundand moved to either a pile or container for disposal. Similarly, thegrabber attachment 12 can be closed about a dead tree or log, and thusallow the operator to move the log so that it can be stacked neatly fortransport or burning. The grabber attachment 12 is designed to beattached to the skid steer loader so that while the tree or log isgrasped by the grabber attachment 12, the grabber attachment 12 can bepositioned so that the operator's view from the cab 18 remainsrelatively unobstructed. In this manner, the operator can moreeffectively maneuver the skid steer loader 10 as well as position thetree or log 22 carried by the grabber attachment 12.

[0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grabber attachment 12 of thepresent invention. Visible in FIG. 2 is aback plate 30, side guards 32,and bottom blade 34. Near the top of the back plate 30 are tworeinforcing bars 36 which meet near the middle of the grabber 12 atcenter pin 38. Also connected to the back plate 30 are two hydrauliccylinders 40, 42. Connected to the center pin 38 are a tine 44 and adouble tine 46. The tine 44 contains a single prong, while the doubletine 46 contains two prongs. The tines 44, 46 are arranged vertically.

[0016] The first hydraulic cylinder 40 is connected to tine 44 and thesecond hydraulic cylinder 42 is connected to double tine 46. The secondhydraulic cylinder 42 connects to a bracket 48 on a vertical bar 50located between the double tines 46. Similarly, the hydraulic cylinder40 connects to the single tine 44 at a bracket 48 located on the tine44. The other end of the hydraulic cylinders 40, 42 connect to the backplate 30 at another bracket 48.

[0017] Each hydraulic cylinder has two hydraulic connections 52.Hydraulic hoses 54 are routed from the hydraulic cylinders 40, 42 acrossthe top reinforcing bars 36 of the grabber 12. The hydraulic hoses 54are secured at various parts on the grabber 12 and arms 20, andeventually connect to the hydraulic system on the skid steer loader 10.The hydraulic connections are made in a manner well known in the art.

[0018] In operation, the grabber 12 is opened or closed using hydraulicpressure supplied to the hydraulic cylinders 40, 42 by the hoses 54. Byapplying hydraulic pressure at the cylinder 40, 42, the tines 44, 46 canbe powered closed, or powered open. Thus, the tines 44, 46 can be usedto close about a log or tree, or the tines 44, 46 can further be used topush things to the side or move otherwise heavy objects. The ability topower the tines 44, 46 both open and closed increases the flexibility ofthe grabber attachment 12.

[0019] In addition, the bottom blade 34 allows the grabber attachment 12to push a small amount of material. The side guards 32 protect the restof the loader 10 and in particular the tires 16 from debris as thegrabber 12 is used to clear an area.

[0020]FIG. 3 is a side view of the grabber attachment 12. In FIG. 3, theblade 34 is more clearly visible. The blade 34 is slightly angled toincrease the ability of the blade 34 to push material located close tothe ground. In addition, a bottom brace 60 is shown supporting thecenter pin 38. The bottom brace 60 is attached to the back plate 30 andprovides strength support for the tines 44, 46 as they close aboutdebris and other material.

[0021]FIGS. 4A and 4B are top views illustrating the operation of thetines 44, 46 of the grabber attachment 12. Shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B arethe back plate 30, the bottom blade 34, the reinforcing bars 36, and thecenter pin 38. In addition, the right tine 44 and double tine 46 arevisible, as well as the hydraulic cylinders 40, 42. For simplicity, thehydraulic connections 52 and hoses 54 are not shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

[0022] As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 4A and 4B, the tines 44, 46 canbe moved so that they pivot about a vertical axis at center pin 38. Whenfully opened, the tines 44, 46 may have a distance from the tip 62 ofthe single tine 44 to the tip 62 of the double tine 36 of about 18inches to as large as about 22 inches. As shown in FIG. 4B, when closed,the tips 62 of the tines 44, 46 overlap slightly.

[0023] The center pin 38 is preferably made out of a solid shaft ofsteel. In addition, the tines 44, 46 are preferably formed of a solidmetal, approximately two inches by two inches square. The tips 62 arepreferably tapered or otherwise shaped in such a manner to allow thetines 44, 46 to more easily pick up a round material such as a tree log.By allowing the tines 44, 46 to overlap, it is possible to close thegrabber 12 around a variety of trees having diameters as small as threeto four inches to as large as 18 inches. The back plate 30, as well asthe bottom blade 34 and side guards 32 are preferably formed of 8 inchsteel. The bottom blade 34 may further comprise a five inch cutting edgemade of harden steel.

[0024]FIG. 5 is a rear view of the grabber attachment 12 illustratingthe side which attaches to the skid steer loader. Located on the rear ofthe grabber 12 is an upper attachment flange 70 and two lower attachmentbrackets 72. On each attachment bracket 72 are located two attachmentholes 76. The grabber attachment 12 can thus be quickly and easilyattached to the skid steer loader by positioning the front portion ofthe skid steer loader 10 underneath the upper flange 70 and positioninga wedge through the holes 76. This method of quickly attaching to theskid steer loader is well known in the art. In addition, other methodsof attaching to a skid steer loader to allow for maximum flexibility andallow the grabber 12 to fit on the majority of different brands of skidsteer loaders is likewise possible.

[0025] Although the present invention has been described with referenceto preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. An attachment for use with a skid steer loader, the attachmentcomprising: a back support plate; a plurality of vertically arrangedtines connected to the back support plate; and means for opening andclosing the plurality of tines.
 2. The attachment of claim 1 wherein theplurality of tines comprises a single tine and a double tine.
 3. Theattachment of claim 1 and further comprising a blade located on thebottom of the support plate.
 4. The attachment of claim 1 and furthercomprising means for attaching the attachment to the skid steer loaderlocated on the back support plate.
 5. The attachment of claim 1 andfurther comprising a center pin about which the tines pivot.
 6. Theattachment of claim 5 wherein each tine comprises a distal end and atapered proximal end, wherein the distal end is connected to the centerpin.
 7. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the means for opening andclosing the tines comprises a hydraulic cylinder operably coupled to thetines.
 8. The attachment of claim 7 wherein the hydraulic cylinders areconfigured to power the tines inwardly to close the tines.
 9. Theattachment of claim 8 wherein the hydraulic cylinders are furtherconfigured to power the tines outwardly to open the tines.
 10. A grabberattachment for use with a skid steer loader, the grabber attachmentcomprising: a back plate; a first tine mechanism and a second tinemechanism mating with the first tine mechanism, wherein the first andsecond tine mechanism are mounted vertically on the back plate; a centerpin at which the first and second tine mechanisms pivot; and an actuatorfor opening and closing the first and second tine mechanisms.
 11. Thegrabber attachment of claim 10 and further comprising a blade located onthe bottom of the back plate.
 12. The grabber attachment of claim 10 andfurther comprising brackets for attaching the grabber attachment to theskid steer loader.
 13. The grabber attachment of claim 10 wherein thesecond tine mechanism comprises two tines.
 14. The grabber attachment ofclaim 13 wherein the first tine mechanism comprises one tine.
 15. Thegrabber attachment of claim 14 wherein the first and second tinemechanisms comprise a proximal end and a distal end.
 16. The grabberattachment of claim 15 wherein the first and second tine mechanisms aretapered at the proximal end.
 17. The grabber attachment of claim 16wherein the first and second tine mechanisms are connected at theirdistal ends by the center pin.
 18. The grabber attachment of claim 17wherein the first and second tine mechanisms pivot about a vertical axislocated at the center pin.
 19. An attachment for use with a skid steerloader, the attachment comprising: a back plate; a single tine connectedto the back plate at a distal end; a double tine connected to the backplate at a distal end; a vertically arranged center pin connecting thedistal ends of the single and double tines so that the tines areconfigured to open and close by pivoting at the center pin.
 20. Theattachment of claim 19 wherein the tines are hydraulically actuated toopen and close.
 21. The attachment of claim 19 wherein the single anddouble tines comprise tapered proximal ends.
 22. The attachment of claim19 and further comprising a blade located on the bottom of the backplate.
 23. The attachment of claim 19 and further comprising bracketsfor attaching the attachment to the skid steer loader.
 24. Theattachment of claim 19 and further comprising side shields on the backplate for protecting the skid steer loader.
 25. The attachment of claim19 and further comprising a brace attached to the back plate andconfigured to support the single and double tines below the center pin.